Women get into altercation over open van door and hot weather

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POSTED:August 29, 2007 5:03 a.m.

Affray

Aug. 11 – A fight allegedly broke out between two female patients at American Works. The first patient told the officer she was in a van, waiting to go home. She said the other patient was "moving too slow and letting all the air-conditioning out of the van." She told the other woman to hurry up, which led to a verbal altercation which quickly became physical. The offender in the van received scratches to her face and chest, the report said. The other offender said the woman yelled at her to get in the van and then attacked her. While the officer didn’t see any physical marks on her, she requested being checked by EMS. Once EMS arrived, she was transported on request to the hospital. During the altercation, the women exited the van and were "wrestling around outside," and knocked the van’s passenger side mirror off its mount, the report said.

Shoplifting

July 29 – Units were sent to Kroger for a shoplifting tip. While driving to Kroger, they were told the suspect was a white male with brown hair, wearing a yellow shirt. He was allegedly leaving the store, with a Kroger employee following him. The sergeant who first arrived immediately began an area search for the suspect, while the other officer went to question the complainant, a Kroger employee. The complainant said that the man was in the store with a woman, asking her questions about cigarettes while she worked the customer service counter. The man tried to "distract" the employee while the woman took off with "what appeared to be a bag of meat." The employee was not sure how much meat was taken, and police could not find either suspect.

Wanted person

Aug. 1 – Two officers were out at Love’s Truck Stop when they noticed a blue-green Toyota Corolla in the parking lot with its hazards blinking. The occupant was lying across the front seats, and had trouble opening the car door when the officers knocked on the window to make contact with him. He appeared drunk, and after running his Florida driver’s license, the officers were made aware the man was wanted out of Chatham County for a probation violation. He was cuffed and held at Love’s until Chatham County police came and took him from the scene, and his Toyota was towed.

Shoplifting

July 30 – A hardware store reported a man after he set off the alarm when he tried to leave. He then came back in, saying he wanted more items. The complainant talked to the man in the store, and the man admitted to trying to take four diamond masonry blades. The suspect was arrested, and made an unsolicited statement saying "he stole the masonry blades because he did not have the money to buy them, even though his boss had given him the money," the report said. The man said he felt like he might pass out, and after resting, proceeded to "go limp and started to fall towards the ground." The officer caught him before he hit the ground, and the man refused EMS treatment and/or transport when they arrived.

Forgery

Aug. 1 – After returning home in July from a year-long educational exchange program in Japan, a Richmond Hill woman said she came back to find out her credit history had been tampered with. When trying to get a new cell phone, she was told that because of her credit history, she would need to put a $500 deposit down first. She has been a student in Ohio and told the officer she had no credit history to date, but had also received a collections notice from Bell South in the amount of $382.43 since returning home. The account was allegedly opened in Augusta in the summer of 2005, where the woman had never lived. The officer told her to get her credit history report through all three credit bureaus, and report any other fraudulent accounts. She was given a case number.

Fraud

July 27 – A man told police that he was informed someone was using his credit card on the Internet, from July 27 to 31. Upon finding out, he closed the account and had copies of transactions that took place with the card which he did not make. The man pointed to some transactions that he had followed up on, and said the companies had told him if he had a case number they could provide him with information on who had used the card. The officer first called Career Builder, and was told the only information they had was that of the complainant. Just Flowers told him they could tell him where the purchased flowers were delivered to, but the officer was disconnected and could not reach anyone when he called back. The man was given a case number.

Hit and run

Aug. 1 – A woman parked her car at Kroger in Richmond Hill, and after spending roughly 40 minutes shopping, she returned to find her car hit. She said someone had struck her vehicle, causing scrapes and a puncture to the left rear bumper. She said she thought an older model Nissan had been parked next to her, and wished for a report to be filed for insurance purposes.

DUI

Aug. 2 – While patrolling Ford Avenue and Timber Trail, and officer noticed a vehicle driving down the wrong side of the road. The vehicle "swerved into its correct lane" but continued to swerve while heading west bound on Ford. After being pulled over, the man looked at the officer as if he did not understand him when asked for license and insurance. The officer said the man’s eyes were bloodshot and his face was flush, with a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle. He spoke in very slurred speech, and told the officer he had "two beers." During the field sobriety tests, he almost fell several times, and the tests were stopped because of the man’s unsteadiness. He was put under arrest for a DUI and was then searched. The officer found a plastic container with five pills, labeled "TRA2;" the man said he did not have a prescription. Upon searching the man’s vehicle, two cold open beers were found on the floor. The car was towed, and the man was brought down to the station for a Breathalyzer. The man blew .156 the first time, and .155 the second time. He was booked for failure to maintain lane, DUI, and open containers. The pills were sent to the crime lab for testing and may result in further citations.

Property damage

Aug. 7 – During the shift change at Citgo, a field nozzle and hose was completely ripped off pump eight. According to the complainant, the man who was using the pump came into the store and said he had pulled the hose from the pump. While he didn’t leave his name, he did say he "put the pump back." The man was described as mid-40s, beard and brown hair, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. The gas station had no surveillance footage available, and said they had waited to call in to report the damage because they’d had a "rush of customers" after the incident. The station was given a case number.

Theft by conversion

Aug. 10 – On May 7, a Samsung excavator was rented out on lease. On Aug. 10, the complainant filed a theft report for the $18,000 excavator, saying the man had not made any of the monthly $1,441.29 payments yet. As of Aug. 10, he said he had made numerous attempts to contact the offender, and has not been able to locate his equipment. The man was given a case number and told to call police if he hears from the suspect.

Entering auto

Aug. 11 – A Florida woman’s purse was stolen from her car at the Richmond Hill Raceway gas station. After leaving her orange Nine West purse on the front passenger seat of her Honda Accord, the complainant got out to pump her gas. She said she was having problems getting her credit card to work at the pump, so she went into the store to find out why. Upon returning and pumping her gas, she got back into her car and found the bag missing. She told the officer she had a SunTrust debit card, her Florida driver’s license, and Air Force Retired Military ID card, Sam’s Club card, Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance card, phone book, Verizon cell phone, and $300 cash. The report said there was no sign of a forced entry, and the woman told the officer she had not locked her doors prior to going into the store.

Public drunkenness

Aug. 12 – While on patrol, and officer watched a man outside Motel 6 on Hwy. 17 outside relieving himself by the dumpster. The officer got out and asked the man if he was okay, noting the "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage." The man began swearing and acting aggressively, the report said. He was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.